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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

International Jobs for US Citizens

As you know this Blog is all about finding the Best Places to Live in the World. For some that means a great place to spend their retirement years for others it means cutting their cost of living - finding a more affordable way to live so they can enjoy a higher quality of life. I get feedback from people all the time wanting to move and looking for cheap places to live abroad. But they also need to find places where they can still work. My good friend Mel just sent me this handout he had put together for a course he was teaching called, The Best Places to Live Abroad for Americans. He shared this segment of his course and the handout is titled,

International Jobs for US Citizens

Guest post by Mel B

Our world has changed over the last few years as the economy has declined and because the job market has shifted too, overseas jobs for Americans are becoming more and more attractive. These overseas jobs for Americans are sometimes just more attractive and more people are willing to explore the possibility. Although there certainly is an appeal and a certain amount of glamor associated with working internationally, it often fades to some degree when the effort to secure that job is spread out before you. It has become more difficult as the competition has increased as a result of the global economy and the increasing numbers of people willing to work abroad but it is certainly still possible. There are many possibilities that are often available internationally that have domestic equivalents and should make the transition possible. For instance, teaching jobs overseas for Americans are plentiful but there are many others besides. Here are just a few:

International nursing jobs

International sales jobs

Overseas security jobs

Overseas teaching jobs

International business jobs

International finance jobs

International engineering Jobs

Non profit jobs

International marketing jobs

International accounting jobs

Overseas construction jobs

International consulting jobs

It is not unusual for we Americans to believe we can just make application and if we are qualified or the best candidate we will get the job. Unfortunately that is not the reality. There is a lot more to the process and it takes far more effort and persistence to secure a position internationally. Some Americans have never even heard of a CV which is the equivalent of the resume and it can even be different in different countries. Another issue that often needs to be addressed is the very real possibility that the country that you land a job in will likely require you to have a visa and it is not uncommon for a visa to take months to get. The good news is many companies that hire internationally will help with this process but it is another hurdle that has to be overcome in the process. One option that some people overlook is the company they already work for. If you are working for a multinational company right now you may have a good chance of transferring abroad easier than finding employment otherwise. You never know until you ask. When you set out to form a plan you will need to keep in mind several factors besides what we have already discussed. First, you will need s assess your abilities so you can accurately filter the jobs you do in fact find and apply for. Also you will need to identify the companies or the industries where your skill set fits and where you have interest. Overshadowing all of these decisions is to identify the countries where you would like to live. Hopefully you will have been in these countries and actually know first-hand about the customs and the cultures. The cultural differences can also be a blind spot that need to be addressed in order to successfully prepare for all aspects of finding and taking a job in a foreign country. The culture in your target country will have an influence on every aspect of the job like:

1.Interrupting information you gather

2.The job application process

3.The interview

4.Negotiation for salary and benefits

5.On the job relationships

6.Rules of conduct in the workplace

These are just some of the ways that culture can directly effect your success of failure in finding jobs abroad for us citizens and doesn’t even begin to address your experience outside of work that so often are important in building a network of contacts to support your work. Because many Americans do not speak a second language this can have a tremendous effect on which jobs are available to even apply for but there is good news. There are many countries where English is the official language and in turn there will be many more opportunities for employment there. In the following table are listed 54 countries where English is the official language and this should significantely reduce the barriers in finding international employment.

Anguilla

Cayman Islands

Jamaica

Papua New Guinea

Tanzania

Antigua and Barbuda

Dominica

Kenya

Scotland

Tonga

Australia

England

Lesotho

Seychelles

Trinidad and Tobago

Bahamas

Fiji

Liberia

Sierra Leone

Turks and Caicos Islands

Barbados

Gambia

Malawi

Singapore

Uganda

Belize

Ghana

Malta

Solomon Islands

United Kingdom

Bermuda

Gibraltar

Mauritius

South Africa

Vanuatu

Botswana

Grenada

Montserrat

St. Kitts and Nevis

Wales

British Virgin Islands

Guyana

Namibia

St. Lucia

Zambia

Cameroon

Ireland, Northern

New Zealand

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Zimbabwe

Canada (except Quebec)

Ireland, Republic of

Nigeria

Swaziland

There is a lot to this whole international job search but we hope we are leaving you with a more in lightened approach to the matter and some tools that you can use to ease the process no matter where in the world you choose to make your next home. As one final gift we would like to leave you with is a list of some of the more established web locations where you can do significant research on finding international jobs for Americans.

Antal International

Offices in 24 countries with 50 staffed offices. Opened in 1993 and has successfully placed executive in 75 countries

ART: Atlantic Research Technologies

This firm works worldwide to place US and Canadian workers in upper and middle management . Caters to high-tech, industrial and service sectors.

This is a search engine for international employment. One can even browse by county, job type or geographic area.

Embassy Job Search

As the name indicates this site all about Embassy jobs but they are not job listings but there are links to the embassy websites you may show jobs available in countries where you may be interested.

Employerjobs.com

Another job search engine based in the UK with reach outside. Key word search based. It appears that applicants get some additional exposure on the front page with a rotating list of names of people seeking employment.

Eurojobs.com

Pan-European job search engine with great country search that details the results by job type and number of jobs

ExecutivesOnTheWeb.com

UK based career site offering executive job search for senior management jobs across the Middle East, Europe, UK, and Africa. Visitors need to register to apply for jobs but can search jobs without registering.

ExecutiveSurf

Executive search firm based in London with offices in Prague, Warsaw and Milan. On their website candidates can apply for positions they are qualified.

GigaJob

Large website covering many countries, some that are not often covered in the international sites. You will not be able to search the entire database at once but will need to switch from one country to another in your job search.

Goinglobal.com

This is a standout site as it offers more than most for the international job seeker. It has lots of country info as well as tools and links that are useful in putting together your resume/CV as well as your job search and cultural advise.

Hudson

An industry leader in recruitment with international recruiting offices in 20 countries. Many valuable resources for the job seeker offered online.

iAgora.com

This site focuses on the recent college grad that may be looking for opportunities internationally. You can apply for free but there is a paid membership offered.

iHipo.com

Singapore based "iHipo targets young professionals and students with a social network platform for both seekers and employers. Registration is not requred to search but it is to apply for jobs.

International Jobs

Career Services for the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin

This site offers a lot of information for the international job seeker including what to expect when you step outside your home country. It attempts to prepare the uninitiated for the world of international employment and they do a pretty good job.

Jobbind.com

Great search engine for finding jobs in many countries. You will default to your country when you go to the site but you can easily change country to search another. One of the widest array of jobs and countries although some have been in the database for an extended period.

Locanto

This site brings together classified ads from all over the world including job postings. You may find jobs posted here that may not be posted elsewhere.

Monster.com

One of the 'monsters' in the industry this site speaks for itself and its reputation for job listings proceeds your visit.

NES Global

This site specializes in engineering services and specialist staff support solutions to its worldwide client base across the Oil & Gas, Power Generation and in doing so gives it a strong footing with offices in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia.

OverseasJobs.com

International jobs and overseas assignments are the foundation of this site for expats and professionals alike. You can check out jobs without registering

PlanetRecruit.com

Jobs from all over the world on this site and registration is not necessary. One nice feature of this site is you can only send your resume to the intended receipent and it will not be visable to others.

Renego

A classified search engine that has a database of UK, Spain, India, Poland, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and even the US. Local language is requried on many of the countries internal pages.

SAM Headhunting

This site is a little different than most as it presents the searches it is working at the moment and you can even see the positions they are trying to fill in individual offices. They cover 19 countries.

StepStone

StepStone works primarily within Europe. Just like so many others you select a country from a map or from the dropdown menu and start your search there.

TipTopJob

This site is like many other in that it has an international list of jobs and you do not have to register to look but if you apply it will automatically register you with the details of your CV

Trovit

Covering many countries in Latin America as well as Europe and the US this classified site has a lot to offer even the casual international job seeker.

World Job List

Site offers advise as well as listing spread all over the world. Most are spa and hospitality industry although others are also represented.

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About Me

I'm on a Mission! to find the Cheapest Places to Live with a nice quality of life. I found Panama to be one such place - you can learn more in my Free 'Letters from Panama' at LearnAboutPanama.com. Please join in the discussion here on the blog by leaving your comments and your own stories about places where people are happy living frugally!